14 Best Restaurants in North-Central Arizona, Arizona

This restaurant and microbrewery is a popular, casual, and family-friendly place with a pleasant patio. Wood-fired pizzas include the Enchanted Forest—with brie, portobello mushrooms, roasted red peppers, spinach, and artichoke pesto. Expect serious amounts of garlic on whichever pie you choose. Sandwiches, such as the Margarita Chicken (marinated in tequila and lime), come with a hefty portion of tasty fries. You won't regret ordering one of the down-home desserts, like the super-gooey chocolate bread pudding. Among the excellent microbrews on tap, the Red Rock Raspberry ale is a local favorite. Beaver Street Brewery, along with its sister brewery Lumberyard Brewing Company, is a stop on the Flagstaff Brewery Trail.

This is a great place to enjoy a coffee, eggs Benedict, or a burger while people-watching on Whiskey Row. The café/bar, which serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner, has been restored to its original 1901 style. The service at the counter is brisk and will leave you plenty of time for antiquing or museum-browsing for the remainder of the day.

Locals and tourists alike swarm to this spacious, old-school eatery for scrumptious breakfast (served all day) and lunch, served by a friendly waitstaff. One hundred and one omelet options are the stars of the show and include such concoctions as a basic ham and cheese and the quirky peanut butter, jelly, and banana, purportedly Elvis Presley's order back in the day. Warm homemade biscuits always hit the spot. An extensive lunch menu features Mexican dishes ranging from chimichangas to a chicken and guacamole salad. 

Patterned after a '50s-style high-school hangout (but with cocktail service), this diner pleases kids and adults with a large menu of family-priced American classics—good burgers and fries, barbecue pork sandwiches, salads, and mesquite-smoked ribs. A large mural of the town's heyday along the "Mother Road" and a historic car on the roof make this a Route 66 favorite. Kids enjoy the relaxed atmosphere and jukebox tunes.

With juicy burgers made from locally sourced, antibiotic- and hormone-free beef, this is arguably the best burger joint in the Southwest. Freshly cut fries lightly dusted with herbs, veggie burgers, grilled cheese sandwiches, and organic salads round out the menu. In summer, try to arrive on the early or late side of lunch and dinner to avoid the lines.

Upscale breakfast dishes like the croque madame—a grilled ham and fried egg sandwich drenched in cheesy mornay sauce—and Instagrammable coffee drinks and cocktails make this Southside coffee shop a good choice for a casual morning meal or brunch. On sunny days, sit on the patio and people-watch.

After the climb up the stairs from Main Street to this former boardinghouse, you'll be ready for the hearty burgers, chili dogs, cheese steaks, and ribs that dominate the menu. Lighter fare, including salads and veggie wraps, are also available. Eat on the outside deck overlooking Verde Valley or in the upstairs dining room, where "Claire," the resident ghost, purportedly hangs out.

Don't let the name mislead you: this South-of-the-border Route 66 diner serves breakfast (all day), lunch, and dinner in a bright space decorated with Día de Los Muertos–inspired paintings. House specialties include a green chile pork enchilada topped with two eggs and J.B.'s Volcano: a mound of chilaquiles drenched in that same green chile pork, loaded with chorizo and crowned by an over-medium egg. Order a breakfast cocktail or coffee to complement your morning meal. Burritos and street tacos dominate the lunch and dinner menu.

Faux pine boughs, pine dining booths, and curtains that only a grandma would hang lend a country charm to this diner known for its extra-large pies and downhome country cooking. Breakfast lovers dig into homemade cinnamon rolls, huevos rancheros with pork green chile, and omelets, while later in the day sandwiches, steaks, ribs, salads, and pastas dominate the menu.

Chef Michelle Jurisin traveled to Italy to learn how to make Neapolitan-style pizza before opening her celebrated restaurant in Old Town Cottonwood. Try the Funghi mushroom pizza or keep it simple with a traditional Margherita with hand stretched mozzarella and fresh basil. When weather permits, ask for a table on the patio or near the bocce court. 

When you take your first bite of any one of the six expertly crafted pizzas on the menu—like the simple tomato, basil, and mozzarella, or the mascarpone, pecorino, arugula, and prosciutto—you'll understand why this small eatery has developed a fierce following. Plates of paper-thin cured meats and olives and salads with chèvre and pine nuts are equally delicious. Don't skip out on the homemade gelato. If you can't get a table at the original Phoenix Avenue location, there's a second one inside Dark Sky Brewing Company.

One of a chain of Mexican restaurants spread throughout the state, this location dishes up standard south-of-the-border fare like enchiladas, nachos, and shredded beef burritos, as well as more unique offerings such as snapper Veracruz and mole. Save room for dessert; the impressive menu has all the Mexican restaurant staples, from churros and flan to deep-fried ice cream. The full-service bar pours 10 different margaritas with the option to add one of seven different flavors, including prickly pear and jalapeño.

This cheerful Mexican restaurant, with light-wood booths and colorful designs, eschews heavy Sonoran-style fare in favor of the grilled dishes found in Guadalajara. The fish tacos are particularly good, and you can substitute grilled vegetables for the rice and beans if you prefer a lower-carb meal.